An Apology Should Look Like an Apology

All of this was still the best-case scenario, with Lein Tesla—the ultimate hidden boss, the Outer Realm God King—not personally entering the fray.

If Lein really did step in himself, no one knew what other outrageous trump cards he might still be hiding.

That was the overwhelming pressure that made the gods on both sides tremble.

Could Hera not see how this bloodletting strategy would ultimately lead to disaster?

No! She could see it.

The older and larger a divine pantheon was, the more it was burdened by what you might call its "divine celebrity image."

Just as Lei had been secretly elevated to the position of God King, he had trodden carefully and quietly held himself to that standard. The other gods had held him to it, too.

Hera was much the same.

Of course she knew that fighting on three fronts was disastrous. But to preserve the glory of the Olympus Gods, she didn't dare abandon any of them. She was afraid the gods would tear her apart behind her back, saying that without Zeus she couldn't keep things under control and wasn't fit to bear the title of Queen of Heaven.

Hera might not have been particularly powerful, but when it came to dealing with Zeus's lovers and preventing mistresses or any other challengers from taking her place, her palace intrigues were second to none in the God Realm. Unfortunately, she was the sort who could only throw her weight around at home, playing all sorts of tricks within the existing rules. Faced with any powerful outside force, her shallow experience gave her no basis for making the right judgment.

"Report! An evil god named something like Tezcatlipoca has seized Olympia and sacrificed more than twenty thousand citizens who refused to surrender. The rest of the citizens